Auckland

Today we final hit Auckland, our last stop in New Zealand. As recommended by many people we headed to Rangitoto Island for the day. It is 1 hr ferry ride to the Island. The Island was created by a now dormant volcano and features a giant crater that you can climb. We underestimated the size of the island and were only able to explore a small portion of it. The island itself is a large scenic reserve with no permanent residences. As such, we were limited by time and tied to the ferry schedule. The last ferry left around 4pm so we were rushed to see as much as we could. The environment on the island is similar to much of Iceland; volcanic rock trying to grow plant life. We explored some caves and made the trek over to Wreck Bay. Wreck Bay was pretty cool. It was a dumping ground for old derelict ships that Auckland wanted to hide from view.

Returning to Auckland city centre, Richard came up from Hamilton to join us for the evening. He toured us around the city centre and we had Sunday Roast at a local restaurant. Not the nicest venue, we spotted cockroaches during the meal. The highlight of the city centre was definitely the Viaduct. The Viaduct is a well-developed waterfront area. Filled with restaurants, museums and large yachts, it was fun to explore.

Finishing the night we headed into a campervan park for our last night with the van as there were no free spots within the city. The park was kind of sketchy and the owner seemed to be really annoyed that we arrive after 8pm.Read more